How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 76

Jane glanced up at the bear-like man. He was so unaccustomed to looking up at someone taller than himself that the sensation felt strange.

The man continued chewing on something until his face suddenly twisted in disgust. He spat whatever he had been chewing onto the ground.

Looking at the mushy mess splattered across the floor, Jane thought:

…Is that what my future looks like?

Even Neil, who could knock pigeons out of the sky with pebbles, had apparently decided that he couldn’t take on a bear. In fact, it was a relief that he had hurried away. Kelvin and his gang seemed to be targeting the little ones.

By then, the bear-like man was gently patting Kelvin on the head while demanding compensation.

“Hey, buddy. Are you listening to me or not?”

“Y-yes, yes…”

“Let’s not make me repeat myself. Hmm? I hate dealing with troublesome things. One wildcat is more than enough trouble for me. Right?”

“Huh…? Y-yes.”

While Kelvin was occupied, Jane watched for an opportunity to slip out of the alley with Dave. The other boys in Kelvin’s gang were also eyeing the situation nervously and edging backward.

But perhaps there were too many of them trying to leave at once, making their movements conspicuous.

The bear-like man let out a low growl, pressuring them.

“Hey, trying to run away again? Is it all right to leave before an adult does, hmm?”

As he spoke, the man surveyed each boy’s face before patting Kelvin on the shoulder. His touch made Kelvin’s entire body jolt.

“Listen, one wildcat being rude to adults is enough. Now, come on. Be good boys and gather around.”

“……”

“Anyway, I’m going to need compensation for my medical expenses…”

“……”

The man gathered the boys together and waved the arm he claimed was broken, trying to squeeze money out of them. His scarred hands were so thick and large that it looked as though he could crush someone’s skull just by gripping their head.

In the end, Jane and Dave couldn’t escape the alley either. Trembling, they had to rummage through their pockets. But the only things they had were an awl and a pocketknife they had grabbed just before leaving their hideout.

When Jane pulled the awl from his waistband, the other boys stared at him as though wondering why on earth he had it there. The man, however, merely snorted and advised them never to hand their weapons over to someone else carelessly.

“Ha. You’re all broke.”

After taking even the little money the boys had managed to scrape together, the man grumbled that the paltry sum wouldn’t even properly pay to treat a single finger.

He lightly grasped one of Kelvin’s fingers and continued.

“It’s unfair if I’m the only one who gets hurt. How about you give me one of your fingers?”

His grip tightened gradually. Kelvin’s face grew paler and paler.

Jane disliked Kelvin, but he couldn’t bear to watch the boy’s finger get broken, so he squeezed his eyes shut.

“If y-you need money, there’s another way!”

“Oh?”

Trembling, Kelvin hurried to speak before his finger could be bent any farther.

“There’s an inn that buys children!”

“…Children?”

“Y-yes! They only buy children under ten! You could get paid right away.”

“Hmm. But you look older than ten.”

Even as he said that, the man compared his height with the boys’ and muttered that if they were just a little shorter, they might be able to insist they were ten.

When he looked at the tall Jane, he dismissed him to one side, saying that boy wouldn’t do. As a result, Dave, who had been clinging tightly to Jane’s clothes, was pushed aside with him.

It was utterly absurd, but the man looked as though he might cut off the boys’ necks or legs to make them shorter, then insist they were ten years old.

When he glanced at Kelvin’s knees and muttered that cutting off just that much might do the trick, Kelvin screamed in terror.

“I-I saw two children here earlier!”

“Oh? And where are they?”

“I-I don’t know, but they were here just a moment ago, so they can’t have gotten far! And they were with those guys!”

Kane pointed at Jane and Dave. He seemed desperate to escape by any means necessary.

The man turned his head slightly toward Jane, wearing a chilling smile.

Jane’s expression stiffened as he slowly opened his mouth.

“W-we don’t k-know those k-kids very well, either. W-we don’t k-know where they went.”

“Well, we’ll find them soon enough. So, where’s this inn?”

Apparently intending to capture the children and sell them all, the man asked for detailed information about the inn. Kelvin referred to the children as “rabbits” and told him everything he knew about the inn’s location, password, and other details.

“Hmm. Is that so? You can go now.”

After hearing the full explanation, the man let Kelvin and his gang leave first.

Jane steeled himself, vowing that no matter what threats the man made, he wouldn’t tell him anything. If necessary, he would even use the awl, just as Neil had advised.

But the man merely stared at him for a moment. Then, without asking him anything, he turned around and walked away.

“……?”

Confused, Jane watched the man retreating back before checking on Dave, who was hiding behind him.

“A-are you okay?”

“Y-yeah. Th-thanks, hyung.”

“I-I didn’t d-do anything. L-let’s f-find the k-kids and g-go back to the h-hideout. It’s t-too d-dangerous.”

“We’re not going back.”

The voice came out of nowhere, making Dave jump and collapse onto the ground.

Neil had appeared without making a sound. Holding his little brother in his arms, he looked down at the boys in silence.

“D-didn’t you run away?”

“Why would I run away? You two should go back now.”

With that, Nihil lowered Rianus from his arms. Rianus, who had been lost in thought while being carried, wore a somewhat troubled expression.

Nihil gently straightened his little brother’s disheveled hood and continued in a kind voice.

“Shel, go meet up with Doggy.”

“…What about you?”

“I’m going to be the bait.”

“Come with me.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“I don’t care. Come with me.”

“……”

Rianus refused to back down. His friend was strong, but there was no guarantee he wouldn’t get into danger. And Evan was his knight. If something happened to either of them, Evan would undoubtedly save Rianus first.

The borrowed knight, Bella, was no different. Rianus was a prince, and they had agreed from the start that his safety would take priority.

“Neil, hyung, come with me. Let me go with you.”

“……”

Rianus clung tightly to his friend’s hand. If he let go, Nihil might leave on his own.

Just then, Dave interrupted.

“Let me help.”

“Go back.”

“You’re planning to get yourself sold, aren’t you? But if that bear-like guy catches you, you might not get off with just being sold! Let me—let me help you. I won’t do anything else dangerous!”

“……”

Nihil and Rianus exchanged somewhat complicated looks. Nihil thought it over, wondering whether he should at least give the children some emergency money, then finally nodded.

 

***

 

Nihil took Dave’s trembling, rigid hand and gestured for him to lead the way. After receiving the signal, Dave took several deep breaths, then casually opened the inn door and walked inside.

“Hey there!”

“Welco— Oh, no. We don’t take children. Get out.”

The rough-looking innkeeper waved his hand dismissively, trying to chase the boys out as soon as they entered.

Matching what Kelvin had told him against the information in his head, Dave approached the innkeeper in a friendly manner.

He said they’d refuse the first couple of times if you brought children, didn’t he?

“Come on, mister. We’ve got money, too.”

“I said we don’t take children!”

“Aw, don’t be so stingy, mister. I brought my little brothers, my ‘rabbits,’ here to give them something delicious to eat, and now you’re kicking us out? What am I supposed to do with my reputation? I made such a big deal about treating them to a good meal!”

“I said no. Take them to another restaurant.”

Perhaps because they weren’t the boys who usually brought “rabbits” to the inn, the innkeeper rejected them repeatedly, seemingly trying to verify their story.

Realizing this wasn’t working, Dave leaned close to the innkeeper and whispered.

“Do you know how rare baby rabbits are these days? Kelvin’s ugly mug and nasty mouth scare them all off. Honestly, kids have good taste, don’t they? Anyway, it took a lot of effort to coax these little guys here. Hurry up and bring us some food. They’re starting to get suspicious! What if they decide to leave?”

The innkeeper hesitated, torn by Dave’s convincing performance. But he couldn’t easily make up his mind because he couldn’t imagine that greedy Kelvin would send someone else in his place.

Nihil noticed that the innkeeper was taking too long to decide, so he cautiously approached Dave and tugged at his clothes.

“Big brother… We don’t have to eat anything delicious. That man is scary. Can’t we just leave?”

“H-huh? J-just wait a little longer. This restaurant has the best food!”

“But…”

Nihil hid behind Dave as though frightened, peeking nervously at the innkeeper before tugging at Dave’s hand and trying to lead him outside.

“Let’s go…”

“Damn it! Just sit down already!”

“Haha, thank you.”

In the end, unable to let the rabbits slip away, the innkeeper hurriedly stopped the children. Once they had permission to stay, Dave silently cheered in triumph and quickly led everyone to a secluded table.

Still suspicious, the innkeeper narrowed his eyes and asked,

“What are you going to eat?”

“Give us what those guys ordered last time.”

“Honestly, you’re far too young to be acting like—”

“…Huh? Oh, haha! Come on, what does age matter in this line of work? You don’t know how full of himself that guy gets after coming here, do you? He’s so damn annoying…”

“Tsk. Just keep the kids under control!”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry!”

The innkeeper clicked his tongue and walked away. Dave let out a deep sigh of relief, apparently feeling that they had gotten past the first hurdle.

Fortunately, the restaurant was bustling with people drinking, so even if the children talked a little, no one was likely to hear them clearly.

Jane, who had been terribly tense, exhaled and patted Dave on the shoulder.

“D-Dave, g-good job.”

“…Hyung, I feel like my heart’s about to burst. But what the hell did Kelvin eat to get that kind of reaction?”

“M-maybe h-he ate something r-really s-spicy.”

“Oh, that could be it.”

“……”

Nihil sighed inwardly at the boys’ innocence. They had come up with nothing more sinister than spicy food. But he didn’t let it show. Instead, he played the role of a little child who was unfamiliar with the place and felt awkward being there for the first time.

Rianus, meanwhile, looked around curiously, playing the part of a little child who was fascinated by an unfamiliar place. In his case, that was probably no act at all.

Just then, Dave leaned toward Nihil and whispered quietly.

“Neil, but the more I think about it… isn’t it too dangerous for you to be the bait?”

“They’re going to hunt rabbits anyway. I’m better than an ordinary rabbit.”

“…Yeah, well. You can catch a flying pigeon with a pebble, after all…”

The boys fell silent, remembering the pigeon meat that was probably now neatly plucked and stored away in the warehouse.

Whatever else they didn’t know, Neil wasn’t likely to be taken down easily.

As long as that bear-like man didn’t show up.

The boys kept chatting to ease their nerves. Most of the conversation consisted of Dave rambling about everyday things while Jane responded in agreement, but Rianus listened intently, fascinated by their conversation.

Just as the boys were gradually relaxing, the entire restaurant suddenly fell as silent as a grave.

Puzzled, they quickly scanned the room.

“Hm? What’s this? Is the place closed? Why is it so quiet?”

The bear-like man, who seemed to keep crossing their path no matter where they went, was entering the restaurant with an overwhelming presence.